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The most/the least in Spanish
Have a look at these examples to see how we say the most + [adjective] (e.g. the most amazing) or the [adjective]-est (e.g. the tallest)
En el mundo hay muchos países interesantes pero para mí, el más interesante es Australia.In the world there are lots of interesting countries, but for me, the most interesting (one) is Australia.
The most with singular nouns in Spanish
To say something/someone is the most + [adjective], follow this rule for singular nouns:
- el más + [adjective agreeing with the noun]
- la más + [adjective agreeing with the noun]
Look at and listen to these examples:
The most with plural nouns in Spanish
Use this rule for plural nouns:
- los más + [adjective agreeing with the noun]
- las más + [adjective agreeing with the noun]
Look at and listen to these examples:
Bear in mind that you can also include the noun in the structure: the most/least +adjective + noun ; for example:
It is important to remember in this case that in Spanish the placement of the noun is different: the noun is placed before the superlative as a general rule.
Agreement
Note that the article and adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun.
El más pequeño. Los más pequeños.
La más pequeña. Las más pequeñas.
The least with singular and plural nouns in Spanish
The same rule applies when you want to say something/someone is the least + [adjective]. Look at and listen to these examples:
Here too, the article and adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun.
El menos grosero. La menos grosera.
Los menos groseros. Las menos groseras.
Article "lo" with the most/the least in Spanish
Bear in mind that if we are referring to something neutral (e.g. an idea, this thing, that thing...) the article to use is the neutral article "lo":
The adjective is used in the singular masculine form.
One of the most/least in Spanish
To express that someone/something is "one" of the most/least [adjective] among others we use:
Uno/-a de + superlative
Have a look at the following examples:
Pedro Almodóvar es uno de los directores españoles más conocidos internacionalmente.Pedro Almodóvar is one of the most internationally well-known Spanish film directors.
Notice how uno/-a agrees in gender with the what/who it refers to.
Note that when we say "one of the most + adjective + noun in [somewhere]" the preposition "de" tends to be used more than "en" in Spanish.
Carlos es uno de los alumnos más inteligentes de mi clase. (more common)
Carlos es uno de los alumnos más inteligentes en mi clase. (less common)
(Carlos is one of the most intelligent pupils in my class.)
See also How to say the best/the worst/the oldest/the youngest in Spanish (irregular superlatives)
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